of God, that they may enjoy the light of his countenance; that he may be their portion for ever.

O Lord, in all now before Thee, create "a clean heart;""renew a contrite spirit." May we be children of the true Israel of God, and heirs of the promises! May the glad tidings of salvation reach our heart, in spirit and in power! May we receive them as messages from Heaven! Gracious God put away from us, we beseech Thee, the natural man, with his deeds. Let us, by devotion to thy service, prove that we are indeed in Jesus. That we have become new creatures. "That we walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit;" that the "good tidings" of salvation have not only reached our ears, but have affected our hearts, and through grace shall, for the future, regulate our lives. Amen.

The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be amongst you, and remain with you always. Amen.

29

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT.

Let us pray.

O LORD, raise up (we pray thee,) thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore let and hindered in running the race that is set before us, Thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us, through the satisfaction of thy Son our Lord; to whom with thee, and the Holy Ghost, be honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

Our souls would magnify the Lord, and our spirit would rejoice in God our Saviour. O Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, ere ever thou hadst formed the earth, even from generation to generation, thou art God. Thou, O Lord, art a Spirit; enable us to worship thee, in spirit and in truth. O grant that we may be grateful to thee, for thou art our kind benefactor.

Enable us sincerely to praise thee, for thou art greatly to be magnified; assist us, that we may truly honour thee; for might, majesty, dominion, and power, belong to thee, the everlasting God. Lord, teach us how to pray. Instruct us how to speak of the great things thou hast done for us, and to tell of thy mighty acts. Most especially we now rejoice in, and bless thee, for life and immortality, brought to light through the Gospel.

All unworthy though we be, we thank thee that we are permitted to approach thy throne of grace, and in the spirit of true penitents, at the feet of our Saviour, to entreat thee, that we may love much, because much is forgiven. O Lord, grant that thy mercy may be upon us, as our trust is in thee. That, convinced of sin, we may receive the Holy Spirit, to change our hearts, and to make them altogether thine. May we now enter thy service, and henceforth be faithful in all its requirements. Protected by the Captain of our Salvation, may we fear no evil. May we know thee as our God, reconciled in him, and not imputing unto us our trespasses. O, let a ray of Divine love illumine our way, and cheer our earthly pilgrimage! May we proceed on the straight path, with undeviating step, with unquenchable vigour, and at length do thou, gracious Father, bring us in peace to thy heavenly mansions above; through the merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who taught us thus to pray :

Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name: thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

THE SCRIPTURE.

The portion of Scripture, is written in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, 1st chapter, from the 1st to the 14th verse.

"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia: grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort: who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is steadfast, knowing that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the

consolation. For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: but we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead; who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver, in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us. Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that, for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons, thanks may be given by many on our behalf. For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to youward. For we write none other things unto you, than what ye read or acknowledge, and I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end. As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus."

SERMON IV.

THE BELIEVER'S HOPE.

In the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, the 5th chapter, and 1st verse, it is thus written.

"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."

There is as much evidence of mind, as of matWe discern by our power of sight what is

ter.